Sharing good news of great joy to all people.
Elation Church. This is week number 10 in our
series we've entitled, Hello, My Name is God.
Everybody say that. Hello, my name is God. And
we've been looking at God's names. You know,
God has a lot of different names. He's revealed
all these different names to us through the Bible.
And what we've learned is that there's a promise
connected to his name. I'll make sure everybody's
listening. I'm looking. Yeah, there's a promise
connected to his name, and that's what we've
been looking at. So this has been 10 weeks, and
there's so many great things that we've learned.
But there's a lot to a name. There's actually
three things. What's in a name? Names signify
identity. I want everybody to say that. Say identity.
Names signify identity. Like for me, example,
my full name is Jeffrey Nathaniel Forrest. But
the only time someone ever calls me that is if
I'm in trouble. Did you ever have parents call
all three names or however many names you have?
You know, if you were in trouble, they're like,
Jeffrey Nathaniel Forrest, you know. But everyone
just calls me Jeffrey. Another identity name
that I have is Christian. It's not just something
that I practice. It's not just a religion that
I do on the side. No, it's my identity. It's
who I am and how I identify myself as a Christian.
Names also signify, everybody say identity. Everybody
say relationship. Names signify relationship.
So I'm a cousin. Some little things about me.
I'm a cousin. I'm a nephew. I'm a son to my parents.
These are my parents that I'm singing with. Mom
calls me her favorite son. Now, this is kind
of funny because if you know, I'm the only child.
So, you know, I've just said, I'm just going
to take it as a compliment, you know, that I'm
just, I'm her favorite son. I'm a husband to
my lovely wife, Caitlin. She's taking care of
the children this morning. Like we said, we've
been married eight years on Tuesday. That's awesome.
But she doesn't call me husband. Oh, husband,
come here and do the dishes. Oh, husband, do
the dishes. No, she don't do anything like that.
She usually calls me honey. One time she test
drove Pookie, and I shut that down. I said, I
don't want to be called Pookie. That's not okay.
We're not doing that. Names signify identity.
Names signify relationship. And also names signify
activity, what a person does. So like some things
about me. is I'm a student. I've been a musician.
I've been a recording artist. I have a PhD in
philosophy and Christian apologetics. So I know
a whole lot about very little. I've been a sound
engineer, a worship leader, been a professional
photographer before, senior citizens aerobics
instructor. I've been an alligator wrestler.
No, I'm just kidding. I'm just making sure you're
paying attention. I've been a DJ on the weekends.
I was a custodian at Disney right when we moved
here for a little bit. I was a custodian at Disney
for a while. That's where I met Colin. I'm an
evangelist, a chaplain, preacher, and I'm the
associate pastor here at Alation Church. That's
a lot of names, right? It's a lot of names, 16
names, in fact, but I'm just one person. And
you might be like, well, Jeffrey, why do you
keep talking about yourself? We're trying to
prove a point here that names carry weight to
them. It's not just information. It's just knowledge.
It actually reveals who someone is. It reveals
what kind of relationship they have with the
people around them and then the activity and
things that they do. And with God, when we look
at his names, we've learned 10 names now, we're
not looking at different gods. It's just one
God, right? And he's revealed himself. by these
different names, okay? So he's just one God.
So what is in a name? Identity, relationship,
activity. And the Bible says in Psalms 910, this
is our main text through the series, it says,
and those who know your name will put their trust
in you. For you, Lord, have not forsaken those
who seek you. You see, it's so important to know
God's name. And it's so important to know him.
And when I say that, your immediate response
is to say, well, oh, I know him. I know about
him. The Bible says that the demons even know
about him. But the important thing as a Christian,
we're supposed to know him, have an intimate
relationship with him. That changes the way we
live from the inside out. It's not just casual
relationship. It's intimate relationship with
him. Amen. We're supposed to know him and we
know him more and more when we know about him,
the relationship that he wants to have with us,
his activity in the world around us. That's how
we get to know him more and more and more. So
that's what we're laboring to do when we're looking
at the names of God is simply to get to know
God more. How many of you want to know God more?
Every day, our desire needs to be that we want
to know. God more. We want to experience him
more real and more real each and every day. And
we can put our trust in him. See, when we know
who he is, the relationship he wants to have
with us, and his activity in the world, trying
to recap a little bit, that's how faith begins.
That's why we can have faith. When we know who
he is and what he does, that's where faith forms.
That's where we have something to stand on. Because
it's not just, well, I heard some preacher say
this one day, and so therefore that's who God
is. No, it's this, I know this is God, I know
this is what He does, and this is the relationship
that He wants to have with me, because I've heard
it, I've read it in the Word. And so therefore
I can stand on it, I can have faith that He will
not forsake me, He will not turn His back on
me. He will not leave me. He will not leave me
high and dry. When I seek him, when I seek him,
when I trust him, confidently hope and expect,
not hope so, but know so, out of that relationship,
I can hold him because God is faithful. So I
can hold him accountable because I can stand
firm on who he is. Amen? Today, Our name for
God is Yahweh Mekadeshkum. Yahweh Mekadeshkum.
Yahweh, it means this, and as we've seen in previous
weeks, Yahweh means I am that I am. It's God's
eternal name. It means simply to always be or
exist. To always be or exist. We've talked about
that in previous weeks. Mekadeshkum is another
compound word here. Kodesh is all throughout
the Old Testament and simply means consecrate,
sanctify, set apart, and make holy. And what's
interesting about this, the meh means who, kim
is personal, it means you. So when you put this
together, this concept together for God's name,
it means I am the one who consecrates, sanctifies,
sets apart, and makes holy. you holy this is
god's name that he's the one who makes you holy
amen it's not based on our work our effort right
it's he's the one who makes us holy he's the
one who sets us apart he's the one who sanctifies
us can i get an amen amen this name is only given
three times in the Old Testament. I mean, only
given four times in the Old Testament, even though
Kadesh is given like over 170 times. This name
specifically is given four. And the first time
God reveals to us this name is in Exodus 31,
13. And it says this, listen, it, the law, the
instructions God gave to his people on Mount
Sinai, is given so that you may know. that I
am the Lord who makes you holy. Yahweh Mekadeshkim.
So, what is this saying? It's the law then was
a promise to the Israelites that God had chose
them. He had set them apart. From who? From the
surrounding nations. To be different. They were
supposed to be different than everyone else that
they were around. They were supposed to be different.
And then they were supposed to be blessed because
of it. Because God was the one who made them
holy, right? That's what it says. That's who
God is, and that's how he's revealed himself
to them. God is holy. That's not a fact that
we wrestle with. We know that God is holy. God's
holiness is found in his identity of who he is,
right? It's his identity, but it's also revealed
here, like we said, God's activity to his people.
And therefore, what the verse is saying is that
Israel is holy because God made them holy. It's
their position. Everybody say their position.
It's their identity. Say their identity, right?
Grounded and found in who God has made them,
okay? Another time this name for God is given
is in Leviticus 27 through 8. Listen to this.
It says, so set yourselves apart to be holy.
For I am the Lord your God. Keep all my decrees
by putting them into practice. For I am the Lord
who makes you holy. It's interesting that verse
7, it says, So set yourselves apart. God is telling
his people to set themselves apart. And that
word is called ash again, meaning to consecrate,
sanctify, set apart, make holy. And then he's
saying Yahweh Elohim. learned in previous weeks
so he's saying that i am that i am the supreme
god so he's saying set yourselves apart to be
holy for i am the supreme god the supreme one
the highest one right which kind of is like a
little bit different than what the latter right
it's a little bit different we're kind of like
what what are you saying see setting themselves
apart what did that look like for the israelites
it meant living differently by a different standard,
by a different set of rules, according to a promise
that God had given them that brings protection
and blessing. It brings protection and blessing.
You see, I'm going to keep going before I get
bogged down. Verse 8 says, Keep all my decrees
by putting them into practice. And then we see
this name. Yahweh Mekadeshim, for I am the Lord
who makes you holy. So there's three things.
Three things we need to take away from this.
God is holy. Everybody say, God is holy. And
he's made Israel his holy people. And then he's
commanding them to be holy. God is holy. And
as the verse is saying, he's made Israel his
holy people, because that's who he is. But then
also he's commanding them. To be holy. So why
is God telling them? This is a valid question,
right? Why is God telling them to be holy when
he's already made them holy, right? To some,
it might seem like almost like a contradiction
or something like that. Why is God telling them
to be holy when he's already made them holy?
Well, we know that holiness is theirs. It's their
God -given identity and position. But we also
know that man has free will. God has given them
a free will, free choice to do what they want
to do in the earth, right? This is how love is
available. This is how we can genuinely love
him because we have a decision to love him or
not, right? So we have free will in the earth.
But the Israelites, they have a choice. So it's
their identity, it's their God -given position,
but they have a choice to live according to who
God made them to be. Are not. They had a choice.
To live according to the world. Or according
to the word. God spoke to them. And the promises
that he made to them. Are we on? We tracking?
Everybody's good? I see some heads. See some
heads going. We're bobbleheading. I like it.
And listen. When God makes them holy. When he
chooses Israel as his holy nation. That in itself
gives them the opportunity to escape the consequences
of sin. That's why he gave them the law and he's
telling them to live according to it. It was
for their blessing. It was for their protection
in a land that was very hostile. And it gives
them the opportunity to escape the corruption
of sin in the earth. They can escape disease.
And if you go through and you listen to it, there
was a lot of disease going around. There's a
lot of famine. There's times of famine. There's
times of lack, right? And they're saying, and
God's promises were, if you obey me, if you keep
my commands. See, each time God gave this name,
what's interesting, the four times, it's always
in a list of do's and don'ts. When God says,
I'm the one who makes you holy, it's always in
a list of do this, don't do this, be this, don't
be like this. And then he says, I'm the one who
makes you holy. So they have this opportunity
to escape the disease, the famine, the chaos,
the destructive behaviors and consequences of
the culture around them. But God making them
holy also gives them the opportunity to experience
protection to experience peace in the land blessing
and favor but it was their choice everybody say
it was their choice it was their choice and god
has not changed he is the same yesterday today
and forever isn't that encouraging because you
know you and i will We'll change, right? Maybe
next year I'll be a little different. Hopefully
I'm a little more like Christ than I am today.
And we're all on a path and we're all on a journey,
but God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Amen? He's consistent. He is faithful. He is
dependable. He is the same. He has not changed.
And we are. Everybody say, I am. I am his holy
people. And listen, not just the Israelites.
It's the same for them. We're under a new covenant,
but he still commands us to live a holy, set
-apart life. I want to read some verses. Ephesians
1 .4, if you're in your Bible, you can turn there.
Reading out of the NLT, and it's up here on the
screen. Listen, even before he made the world,
God loved us and chose us in Christ. It's important
to be holy and without fault in his eyes. What
does that mean? It means that before the world
was made, before anything, God chose and he loved
those who would one day, come to him, repent
of their sin, and be made new, would surrender
to die to their flesh and be made new to him
and be seated in him, be identified with Christ
in death, burial, resurrection. Now we are alive.
Amen. So if we are in Christ, guess what? Is
Jesus holy? Of course. Jesus is holy. And if
I'm in Christ, listen, I am holy. So don't let
anyone or anybody tell you that I'm not. You
know, I'm not that. I can't be that. That's only
reserved for God. Well, guess what? If you are
in Christ, if you're a born -again believer,
you are holy. In Christ, you are holy. And when
God looks at you, he doesn't see the bad things
that you've done. When you look in the mirror,
all you see sometimes is the bad things you've
done, right? You only know, you know, you think,
and then you live your life shaped upon that,
but that's self -condemnation, and God has freed
us from that, amen? If we're in Christ, we need
to look at ourselves the way God sees us, and
that's without fault. That's without fault. Because
when he looks at us, he doesn't see what you
did. He sees what Jesus did. And in him, come
on, in him you are holy. In him you have no fault.
He sees the blood of Jesus that covers all sin.
He sees his son. 1 Peter 2, 9 and 10. For you
are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a
holy nation, God's very own possession. And as
a result, you can show others the goodness of
God. For he called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light. Once you had no identity as
a people, but now you are God's people. Everybody
say, I'm God's people. I'm God's people. Once
you received no mercy, now you have received
God's mercy. So because God is holy in Christ,
that's now my identity. I identify with Christ.
That is, and we are holy. That is our position
in him. But you and I still have a choice, just
like Israel did, to live according to our God
-given identity or not. All throughout the Bible,
and especially in Romans 6, I believe gives us
one of the best pictures of what this looks like.
Starting with verse 12. Don't let sin control
the way you live. Don't let it. Everybody say
let it. Don't let sin control the way you live.
Do not give in to sinful desires. I like what
the New King James Version says. It says, do
not let sin reign in your body, which is subject
to death. Verse 13. 14, love this, sin is no
longer your master. Think about that. Sin is
no longer your master. I want everybody to say
that. Sin is no longer... Oh, you've got to be
better than that. Say, sin is no longer my master.
Did Jesus have authority to resist the devil
when he was on the earth? Did he resist temptation?
Did he not face the temptations that you and
I did? He faced them all, and what is it said?
He had authority over them. He would speak to
them. It's not his master. And if I'm in Christ,
guess what? Sin is no longer my master. For you
no longer live, back to the verse, for you no
longer live under the requirements of the law.
Instead, you live under the freedom of God's
grace. Hallelujah. But I like what Paul says.
Well then, since God's grace has set us free
from the law, does that mean we can just go on
sinning? Strong language here. Of course not.
Of course not. Just because you have an insurance
policy doesn't mean you should drive like all
the crazy people do around here in Orlando. Thinking
like, oh, it'll be okay. But of course not, right?
16. Listen. Don't you realize that you become
a slave of whatever you choose to obey? You become
a slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can
be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you
can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous
living. You have a choice. You have a choice.
A lot of people say it's just like, well, sin,
you know, has control over me and I just can't.
I can't. I can't. I can't. Well, if you continue
saying you can't, you never will. Because what
you're saying is that, what you're really saying,
if you say that you can't and the devil's convinced
you of that, listen, you're saying that God can't.
Because that's who he's made you. If you're a
Christian, you can. You have the authority over
sin. You have the authority of what has control
over you. Because what this is saying is that
you become the slave of whatever what you choose
to obey. So my question for you this morning
is what or who are you saying yes to? We all
need to ask ourselves this question. What are
we saying yes to? Because most of the problems
that you and I face is because we've said yes
to some things that we should have said no to.
What are we saying yes to? Are we saying yes
to God? His Word? Seems so simple, right? Are
we saying yes, but this is like, in practice,
this is what we got to do as Christians. Are
we saying yes to His Word? The written Word?
The spoken word that's revealed and comes through
our hearts through the Holy Spirit? Are we saying
yes to it? Are we obeying it? Or the world? Because
everything in life is calling for you to respond
to it. Everything. This phone right here, it's
calling for me to respond to it. It's wanting
my attention, right? During, like, COVID times,
and I hate talking about COVID times. It just
seems, like, sad. But during COVID times, my
wife and I, we still had, we still, thankfully,
we had our jobs and everything. But we did have
a lot of free time on our hands. And I remember
we. We sat down and we ate way too much junk
food and fast food and like a lot of people.
And we found some shows. You know, we were talking
to people like, what shows do you like to watch?
You know, we're like, what do you want to watch?
And one of those someone turned us on to was
NCIS. How many of you ever watched NCIS? I don't
recommend this show because it's like. 30 billion
seasons long, and the characters just keep dying
off, and it just keeps going. I don't even know
how it's still going. We're three generations
past the original characters, but we're still
cooking. Most shows, they can't make it past
the first two seasons, but this show just keeps
going. And I remember during that time, it was
a very idle time, and we just sat there, and
it would always call for our attention. And I
remember there was a point in time when all of
a sudden I could, we knew that, like, kind of
controlling us a little bit. Like, it kind of
started getting a little weird because, like,
we'd be sitting there and we'd know that, like,
okay, well, probably need to go bed to around
10. We'd be like, oh, let's, you know, you finish
that episode and it's like 10 -10. And then it's
like, you got 15 seconds to decide. Like, it's
like a trap. 15 seconds. That's not a whole lot
of time. To talk to your spouse, to make a decision
as a couple, that's a lot of pressure. I don't
like countdown timers. In school, I hated that.
I failed, like, most of my tests. I hate timers.
Like, if you put me on a time clock somewhere,
that's why I'm preaching long. If you put a time
clock, I'll just shut down. I'll just leave.
But 15 seconds, and we're like, do you want to
start? Okay, let's go. Let's watch another one.
And then all of a sudden it's like four o 'clock
in the morning. We're still glued wondering if
that character is going to make it or not. And
he's the main character of the show. And I knew
it, but I'm like, I can't sleep until I know,
you know. And then you go to work and you're
thinking about it all day long. You're going,
oh my gosh, is he going to make it? I just don't
know. What is that? You know, or whatever. And
before long, and it's funny, right? Like it's
all happened. We have all experienced it. It's
true. But there's a point in time when all of
a sudden it becomes like, man, this is like controlling
a big portion of my mind. Like this is controlling
me in a sense, right? Because I am saying yes
to it. I am letting it. It was our decision.
I could have just said, no, I need to go to bed.
You know, that's the adult thing to do, right?
Need to go to bed. But no, I'm just like, yeah,
let's, next one. Yeah, next one. And soon, sooner
or later, all of a sudden it controls me, controls
what I'm thinking, controls what I'm doing. I'm
like impacted by it. Now it's controlling, it's
affecting the way I work in the world and affecting
my relationships with those people around me.
And it's something so simple, but it's something
that I chose to let happen, right? It's not saying
that those things are... in themselves wrong
but anything that has control over you listen
be careful of the things that you say yes to
because they control you and then you become
their slave and this goes without saying but
the only thing the only person who should have
control over you in all ways, in every way. Control
over your mind, control over your thoughts, control
over your speech, control over your body. The
only person that you give that to better be worthy
of it. It should be God. It should be the Holy
Spirit. Because what you say yes to rules over
you. What you say yes to, you bow your knee to.
You submit yourselves to. And in society, we
don't like that word submit so much, but it means
willful obedience. Not according to pleasure,
but willful obedience to. You willfully bow your
knee to the Spirit and to God. His way, to His
will. And you say no to the ways of the flesh
and the ways of temptation and sin. Sin is not
your master as a Christian. It's not your master
unless you give it power over you. Holiness is
lived in by saying yes to God and no to the desires
of your flesh. Know to the desires of your temptations.
1 Peter 1 .16 says, For the Scriptures say, so
this was repeated in Leviticus and now repeated
in 1 Peter, saying, You must be holy because
I am holy. It's a command for God. Hebrews 12
.14, Work. Everybody say work. It requires effort
on your part. It's not always pleasurable, right?
It's willful obedience. Work at living in peace
with everyone. Work at living a holy life. For
those who are not holy, listen, this is pretty
strong. For those who are not holy will not see
the Lord. So, of course, God has made you holy.
God has given you the opportunity to see him.
He has revealed himself to you. If you want to
know Him more, and if you want to have that personal
relationship with Him more, if you genuinely
want to see God at work, moving, operating in
your life on a day -to -day basis, you're going
to have to work at living a holy life. You can't
continually say no to the will and the way of
the Spirit and expect... God, he'll keep speaking
to you, but your mind will be so clouded because
it's controlled by everything else that you will
not be able to hear him. You will not be able
to see him in the fullness of who he is. Because
that's what the devil wants to steal from you.
He's not willing to steal all these things. If
he can steal who God is, if he can make you doubt
who God is, He can steal every blessing and every
promise away from you. You got to know who God
is. And the only way that's found is by living
a life in the Spirit who reveals God to you.
He reveals God to man. Amen. And when God tells
you to do something, oh man, this has been so
heavy lately. When God tells you to do something,
listen, he gives you the authority and ability
to do it. Think about this. The things in the
Bible that you read as you're studying, when
he tells you to do something, that word gives
you the authority and the ability to accomplish
it. Not confined, this is not confined just to
the natural laws of man. This is confined to
the laws of the kingdom. You have the authority
and the ability to do whatever God tells you
to do. I have the authority then, therefore,
to have self -control over what controls me.
Why? It's because I've... Worked and I've done
and I've, no. It's because God has given me that
because that is who he is. And when temptation
comes, when my body says, you know, I really
want this, I really want this sugar, I really
want this thing, whatever it be, I can say no.
When my mind tells me this seems better, this
seems the right way to process the world, I can
say no because this doesn't align itself with
the realities of who God is and the life that
he promised me. So therefore, I can stand on
the promise of who he is connected to his person.
And I can stand in faith and say, no, that is
not true. Because I believe God. I obey him and
his word. And this is what matters to me more.
Therefore, God has control over me. God has control
over my thoughts, my words, my actions. Amen.
You give them to God. So, real quickly, and I'm
done. What does being holy look like? Living
by the standards of the word instead of the standards
of the world. It's very simple. Very simple truth.
We just got to apply it. What does that look
like? Jesus prayed in John 17, 15 through 17,
I'm not asking you to take them out of the world,
but to keep them safe from the evil one. They
do not belong to this world any more than I do.
Then he says, make them holy by your truth. Teach
them your word, which is truth. Amen. What does
being holy look like? Looks like being led by
the spirit instead of being led by your flesh.
Surrendering, yielding, submitting to the spirit.
Not your flesh. Not. Your mind, your will, and
your emotions, you're being led by something
beyond that. Because those things are often indicators,
but they're terrible leaders. You know, your
mind, your will, and emotions are often good
indicators, but they're terrible leaders. They
will lead you to a place that you don't want
to go. They'll lead you, pull you, and the enemy
uses those things to pull you away and to keep
you from the life that God wants for you. Romans
8, 6, So letting your sinful nature control your
mind leads to death, but letting the Spirit control
your mind leads to life and peace. You want freedom?
And you want, well, what must I do to be free?
What does it say? Letting the Spirit. Surrendering
to the Spirit. Yielding, bowing your knee to
the Spirit. And saying, God, I take this thought
captive to the obedience of Christ. And you have
it. I know this is not your plan for me. I know
this goes against your word. And I believe your
word more than anything. And I give up what I
think. And it hurts. But I lay it down on the
altar of who you are. That leads to life. The
life of God. Not just the life of everyone around
you. Don't crave the life of everyone around
you. Don't copy their behaviors is what we're
going to read here in a second. But that leads
to the abundant life of God. Amen. It's characterized
by peace. So you are in charge of what you set
your mind on. You're not in charge, listen, you're
not in charge of every thought that comes into
your head, but you're in charge of what you set
your attention on. Because what you set your
attention, what you set your focus on will rule
over you. You have a choice. You say yes to that
thought, or do you say yes to what God says in
His Word? You have an opportunity to respond
to everything that you think. You either act
upon it or you don't. You either take it to God
or you don't. Romans 12, 1 and 2. Listen. And
so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you
to give your bodies to God because of all he
has done for you. Let them be a living and holy
sacrifice, the kind that he will find acceptable,
For this is truly the way to worship him. Worship
is not a song. It's not a service. It's a surrender.
It's a submission. It's obedience is what worship
is. It's saying, God, not my will, but yours
be done. It's praying for your kingdom to come
and your will be done in my life. in my home,
in my family. Your will to be done in my mind.
I know it's hard. Verse 2, don't copy the behaviors
and customs of this world. If God tells me through
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, through Paul,
if he tells me that I... Don't have to copy the
behaviors and customs of the world. Therefore,
I have the authority and the ability not to copy
the behaviors and customs of the world. No matter
if that seems like the easiest way for me. To
lean on my own understanding. Right? Because
if I do what the world does and if I behave like
the world behaves, I'm going to have everything
that the world has. If I say, listen. If I say
what the world says, I'm going to have what the
world has. And it's always going to be something
in the natural. And if you want to see something
supernatural take place in your life, you're
going to have to live according to a different
standard. Let God, everybody say let God. Let
God transform you into a new person. This happens.
How does this happen? This happens by, we talked
about one thing. It's about sitting at his feet
and spending quality, intimate time with him
each and every day. It's how your mind is transformed.
It's how you are transformed into a new person.
Because who you spend the most time with, you
talk like, you sound like, you begin to look
like that person. And if you want to look like
God, guess what? God is holy. And we're talking
about these things, but for you and I to be holy,
it means that we want to look like what God looks
like. It's a restoration of his image upon his
being. It's us surrendering ourselves to him
and saying, God, you're everything to me. You're
who I want to be like. You're my model. I'm not
going to obey these other things. I'm not going
to obey my flesh. I put those things under. I
say no to them, and I say yes to the Spirit,
His will and His way. And then God transforms
you into a new person. How? By changing the way
you think. Then you will learn to know God's
will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect.
You want to know that your life can be good and
pleasing and perfect? You have to know who God
is. It has to be found in who He is. That word,
the revelation of who He is, you've got to spend
time with Him. Therefore, you will see your life
being good and pleasing and perfect because you've
spent that time. in the relationship with him,
and he's shown you those things. That's how you
can have faith that these things are going to
happen. That's when everything around you looks
not good and not pleasing and not perfect. You
say, my God says in his word that my life will
be good, my life will be pleasing, and it will
be perfect. It's not dependent on your circumstances
or what you see in the natural. It's dependent
upon his word. And by faith, we can take a hold
of the things that God tells us. By faith, we
can experience the good and pleasing life of
God and perfect life of God. If you submit to
him, the Holy Spirit will use the word of God.
to change the way you think. When you begin to
think differently, you will begin to live differently.
Example of this, when you begin to have the mind
of Christ and you see people, it changes how
you perceive them. Even when they do wrong to
you, you see them through the eyes of God and
you love them because he loves them despite.
what they've done to you despite being mistreated
you have compassion and empathy for them instead
of harboring bitterness and letting that control
you and drive a deep root of hate which will
destroy you you say no to that you say but god
loves them i love them So what does being holy
look like? It means living by faith in the promises
of God instead of living in sin and its negative
consequences. It rains on the just and the unjust,
but we can escape the negative consequences of
sin and everything associated with the law, the
curse of the law. We escape those things. Those
things, the natural things of this world, don't
necessarily have to apply to you. That's what
we see in Scripture. Those natural things don't
always have to happen. A and B don't always have
to equal C in the kingdom of God. It matters.
Listen, we don't have to, just because there's
a storm brewing outside my house doesn't mean
that I better batten down the hatches and I'm
like, oh, the hurricane or whatever is going
to blow my house away. Just because it's raining
outside, just because some tragedies happened,
just because COVID happened. Guess what? That
was a season of blessing. I know it wasn't for
everybody, but for my family and I, it was a
season of blessing. And it was a season of transition.
And when a lot of people in the world were having
a tough time and barely making it, get this,
God supplied all my needs. According to his riches
in glory. God protected us. God took care of
us and blessed us beyond where we currently were.
So in a time of lack and in a time of famine
and a time of chaos. Come on now. By faith, you
can live in the promises of God. and avoid the
negative consequences of sin. God is the one
who makes you holy, but he needs your cooperation.
Psalms 910, and those who know your name will
put their trust in you, for you, Lord, have not
forsaken. He will not forsake us when we seek
him according to his name. I want us all to stand
up on our feet. Everybody stand up, stretch your
legs. And I want us all to say these things together,
these statements, these good confessions. All
together. My God is Yahweh Mekadeshim. God has
made me holy. I am set apart for God and His
kingdom. I make every effort to live a holy life.
I say no to temptation. I say no to every form
of evil. I am led by the Holy Spirit. I say yes
to God. His word and His way.